Reinforced-cement railroad-tie.



J. H. FLOOD. REINIFORCED CEMENT RAILROAD TIE. APPLICATION rILBD SEPT. so, 1911.

, 1,032,198. Patented July 9, 1912.

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|NvENT0R NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN`H. FLOOD, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERIC A. BARTLETT, TRUSTEE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

REINFORCED-CEMENT RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jiayt', 1912.

Application filed September 30, 1911. Serial No. 652,030.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN H. FLOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Bridgeport, county vof Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforced-Cement Railroad-Ties; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain improve ments in reinforced cement railroad ties, and is an improvement on the structure shown and described in Letters latent, No.' 1,003,590, issued to me, September 1), 1911.

The particular objects of the present im provement are to provide approved devices for securing the rails to the ties, and furthermore to so support the bases of the rails on a metal structure that there shall be no cement formation that would be apt to crumble.

With these en ds in view my invention consists of the novel devices and structures hereinafter fully described and then particularly pointed out in the claims which conclude this description.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a broken sectional elevation of my improved tie on the line y, y, of Fig. 3, showing the manner of clamping a rail thereto and also certain improvements in the reinforcingr channel platesFig. 2 a section at the line a), of Fig. 1Fig. 3 a broken plan View of the structure shown at Fig. 1-Fig- 4 a view similar to Fig. il with the clamping elements removed-Fig 5 a sectional elevation showing a modified form of my improved clamping devices-l `ig- G a section at the linee, e, of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 a scction at the line w, w, of Fig. Lt, with the rail removed.

.Similar numerals of reference denote like parts inthe severalI figures of the. drawing.

l are the channel plates havinginwardly extending flanges 2 at vthe top and bottom edges said plates being connected by cross tie bars one of which is shown and is designated by the numeral 5 which bars conneet said plates and keep them from spread ing, all constructed and arranged as set forth in my aforesaid Letters Patent. The sides of these plates are lanced and the stoel;

. nel Apl atcs so thrown inwardly so as to provide perforations 3 and ledges ft which latter extend in.-- wardly from said perforations and afford anchorages within the cement. ln my said Letters Patent these ledges extended in planes substantially at right angles to the sides of the plates 1, but in my presentimprovement these ledges extend from said/ plates at angles of about 45 and are alternately disposed' in opposite directions, as

clearly shown at Figs. l and 2, and this construction atfords a far better ('.lenching or anchorage between the ceinent and the chanthat there is no possibility of any independent vibration between these parts.

The reinforcing metal structure is embedded and inclosed within a cement structure G, and in the completed tie the top flanges 2 of the channel plates generally extend a short distance below the upper surface of the completed tie except at those locations where the railroad rails are to be supported, and at these locations a top plate 7 rests directly upon the top (langes 2 and extends across the width ol the tie. This top plate has pinsy S near each ot' its corner extremities, which pins tit within suitable. perioiations formed within the top flanges 2, so that it will be, readily understood that said plate is thus secured directly to these llanges in such manner as to resist side or endl thrusts. l prefer to dotachably secure this plate to the top flanges, although it may be bolted thereto or otherwise secured il' desired.

9 is an elongated abutment at one side, ot the plate 7, and l0 also an elongated abutment at the opposite sido ot' said plate, this last named abutment being 'formed with an inclined inner face ll, for the purpose presently to be explained.

'lhe cement structure is cored out so as to provide channels or pathways l2 in paral lelisni longitudinally of thev tie, which channels or pathways extend from the upper i'aee of the tie near the sides thereof downwardly to points below the bar 13, theflatter extending through the sides ot' thc channel plates l so as to be firmly supported thereby' and form a part of the reinforcing structure. These channels` l2 are separated by a wall of cement, so that the tie. will not be materially' weakened, and their width is only a trifle greater than the thickness of the lock bolts which are passed therethrough in the manner hereinafter described.

14 are openingsv in the top plate 7 which register with the pathways 12, and these pathways and openings are preferably in parallel vertical planes that are at right angles to the top plate 7 as shown' at Fig. 4.

15 is the railroad rail whose base 1G rests directly upon the plate 7 between the abutments 9, 10.

17 are the lock bolts which are provided with hooks 18 at their lower ends and are threaded at their upper ends. The pathways 12 are of such dimensions that the bolts may be inserted at an angle therein through the openings 14 and hooked around the cross bar 13, as clearly shown at Fig. 1 and this hook connection will allow these bolts 17 to have a swinging movement for the purpose presently to be explained.

19 are clamp blocks which are preferably constructed alike so that they may be interchangeable, each block having a beveled rear edge Q0 and a shouldered portion 21 in its bottom face and each heilig perforated to admit the bolts 17 therethrough.

In securing a rail the outer edge of the base of the latter is forced against the abutment and nuts 22 are driven on the ends of the bolts 17 against suitably disposed faces on the blocks 1i). A's the nut, that is nearest to the incline 11, is driven on its bolt the beveled rear ed e of its block will engage said incline an will force said block toward the rail, thereby causing the shoulder on this block to engage the inner edge of the rail base so as to force the latter firmly against the abutment 9 while at the same time the tightening of these nuts will cause the forward extremities of the blocks 19 to clamp downwardly upon the rail base so as to hold the same firmly in position upon the plate 7.

The bases of the railroad rails vary more or less in width, but the engaging inclined surfaces 11 and 20 provide for such variation, since, the narrower the width ot' the rail base the farther downwardly will the block be set' along the incline 11, and the lock bolts 17 do not interfere in the slightest degree with the inward andv outward movements of the clamping blocks because said since these bolts are disposed at an angle to cach other so that they diverge from their lower to their upper ends, they are not directly opposed to any side thrust of the rail base and therefore it is impossible to shear these bolts off.

\Vhen the nuts 2Q are driven firmly against the clamping blocks any tendency of the hooks at the lower ends of the locking bolts to straighten out will be resisted and such straightening prevented by the cement structure at the point denoted by the numeral 28 in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Adjustments may be made from time to time in order to correet any slack between theclamping devices and the rail bases.

The bars 13 around which the bolts are connected may be the ordinary cross bars of a structure such as is shown in my Letters Patent aforesaid, or they may be' special cross bars supported within reinforcing structure, it being merely necessary that, the pathways 12 should open up ready passageways to said bars for the hooked ends of the lock bolts, butin all instances itis absolutely necessary that these bars 13 should pass through-and be supported Within the sides of the channel plates 1, so that any vibration or strain communicated to these bars through the bolts 17 may be wholly taken up and resisted by the channel plates themselves, since if said bars were supported solely by the cement structure the latter would speedily crumble owing to such vibrations and strains.

At Fig. 1 I have illustrated a form of lock bolts having open hooks a't their extremities, but in Figs. 5 and G I have illustrated eye bolts 23 inserted downwardly through the openings in the top plates 7 withinsuit able pathways 24, the eyes.of said bolts being engaged by special cross bars 25 detachably inserted through openings in the cement structure that extend from s'ide t0 side of the tie. I have shown at Fig. 6 one of these cross bars 25 provided with aother end so that it will be clear thatthe clamping devices may be readily removed by simply withdrawing the -bars'25. These cross bars 25 when inserted through the tie in the manner above set forth, will pass through snugly fitting openings in the sides of the channel plates l, so that said bars will be wholly supported byA said plates, and therefore the cement-cannot.liceolnocrumblcd or otherwise injured by any shocks pr vibrations communicated to these bars through the medium of the bolts l7. lt is therefore innnaterial whether the lock boltsare formed at their inner ends with open hooks or with eyes, or whether l the cross hars engaged thereby are permanently fixed within the tie or are detachable therefrom.

' rails is concerned, it is merely necessary that ISO suitable cross bars or equivalent means be provided, as a part of the metal reinforcing structure, so that the lock bolts may be inserted through the pathways and detachA ably engaged at their lower ends with the` reinforcing structure,v it being ot course understood. that said bolts when thus engaged must diverge upwardly and protrude through the openings in the plate 7 so as to be engaged by the clamping deviccs'in the manner hereinbefore described.

ilhile it only necessary that the adjustable clainp blot-lis should be applied at the inside ot the rail base, nevertheless, if desired, t clamping construction employed at the insite ot said base may be duplicated as a clamping; structure at the outside of said base.

'lfhe pathwa l; within the content, structure may be olf in); suitable humus-ions and disposition so lo: r as they permit ot the insertion ot the lect-ting bolts and the proper eng-agement thereof at dirergingl incline-i with thil internal i'einierciiig structure, and I prefer to foro these pathways outl so that they will ext vid clear through the bottoni ot the tie` "o that' water 'which finds itsl way within thati pathways at the top ol' the tie maj-5 )e readily discbai d into the earth,

llaiingji tlm-i deceiibed my invention what lV elaiin af; new anl desire to secure lr y 'imiter .latent is:A-

a reinforced cement railroad tic, roinprisin;A oppositely disposed metal chan Y ad metal cross bars extending said plates and supported' thereby l, lo

t-w he herrin ilesrribed means l'or securA bo lios, consisting of lool;

iii

nooit'. t

able ,alliwajxs in the ren/lent body and haw i hinge connections at. their lli raid bars, said bolts di- Yeraino upwardl and prot rollingr from the froni ln opper edges ot' said plates and ex- 'tonton`l eihw te ol the tie near the sides eg bars extending,r through the .sidis ire plaies and supported thereby and t nungA a part. ot the reinforcing structure the latter enibedded with- 'iart fit the reinforcing struc iter embedded wit un a cementA in a cementy body, the hei-ein described means for securing the rails to the ties, consisting of top plates on which the rails rest, said plates supl'iorteddirectly upon said flanges and provided with openings at opposite sides thereof, pathways formed within the cement structure and in planes that are parallel longitudinally of the tie, which pathways are 'seyniratedby a cement wall and coincide w ith said openings, said pathways leading` downwardly below said cross bars, lock boltsI extendingl downwardly through said openings and pathways and having' detachable hinge connections at their lower ends with said cross bars, said bolts direrging upwardly and protruding through said openings at the top of the tie, clamp blocks around the upper ends of said bolts and oi. erlapping the bases of said rails at. opposite sides thereof, and nuts driven on the ends of said bolts against said blocks whereby the rail is firmly clamped to tilt; t l0.

Il. ln a reinforced cement railroad tie, the herein described means for securing the rail to the ties, comprising metal cross bars supported by and forming a. part of the internal reinforcing structure, the latter elnbedded within cement body, pathways formed within the cement and disposed on opposite sides ot said rails and leading from the top of the. tie down to said bars, lock 'bolts within the pathways and secured 'at their lower ends to said bars and direrging upwardly, rail clamping devices engaging said bolts. and means cooperating with the latter for binding said devices firmly against the bases ot the rails.

ll. ln a reinforced cement railroad tie, the -herein described means tor securing the rails to the ties, comprising: metal cross bars :supported by and forming a part of thevinternal reiniorring structure the latter cinbedded within ay rement'r body, pathways VFormed within .said strut-lure and disposed ou opposite sides olf said rails and leading troni the top olE the titl down below said cross bars, lo l\Y bolts within said pathways and haring; at their lower ends open hooks 'that are engaged around said cross bars,

said hook portions beingr in close proximity lo a rement surface whereby the latter will 'resist the .st'raigrhteningq out of Said hooks, said lot-liY bolts dirergiirer upwardly and extendinel above the tie, rail clamping' devices engaging said bolts, and means cooperating with the latter l'or binding' said devices irinl)r :i jainst tho bases ot the rails.

ln a reinforced eoiuent railroad tic of the character described, t|`1` oppositely' disposed channel plates-haring flanges which extend inwardly tron. tho upper edges, top plates haring,r dowel eonnections with said flanges on which plat-'s the. rails rest, suitable openings and patl'iways formed within saidl plates and the main body of the tie, for binding said devices firmly against the 10ck`bolts inserted through said openings bases of the rails. 10 and pathways and having at their lower ends oIn test-imon whereof I alix my signature hinge connections with the internal metal in presence o two witnesses.

structure of the tie and diverging upwardly JOHN H. FLOQD. l. and extending through said openings in the Witnesses: plates, rail clamping devices engaging said F. W. SMITH, Jr.,

bolts, and means coperating with the latter M. T. LONGDEN. 

